This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
Spiced lamb with dates, feta & tahini
Ingredients serves 4
8 lamb cutlets
5 tabs olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp cayenne
Juice of 1 lemon
50ml plus 2 tabs extra virgin olive oil
50g tahini
4 tbsp Greek yoghurt
salt and pepper
10 fat soft dates, pitted and quartered
100g barrel-aged feta cheese, crumbled
Leaves from a big bunch of mint, torn if large
Fronds from a bunch of dill, very roughly chopped
Baby leaves or micro leaves
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp sumac
How to prepare
Put the lamb in a shallow container with the regular olive oil, cumin, two of the garlic cloves, the cayenne pepper and half the lemon juice. Turn, cover and chill for 30 mins to 2 hours.
Tip the remaining garlic and lemon juice, the 50ml of extra virgin olive oil, tahini, yoghurt and seasoning into a blender, pour in 50ml of water and whizz. It should be the consistency of thick double cream, so add more water if you need to, then check the seasoning.
Heat a griddle or frying pan until really hot. Lift the cutlets out of the marinade, shaking off excess, and cook over a high heat, seasoning as you do, until you like them.
Put the dates, feta cheese, herbs and salad leaves on to a platter and toss with seasoning, the vinegar and 2 tbspn extra virgin olive oil.
Put the cutlets on top, drizzle on some of the dressing (serve the rest on the side) and sprinkle on the sumac.
Serve immediately.